The testing programme has been launched to make cars in India safer and to give the public a better-informed choice when they choose their vehicle
Bharat New Car Assessment Programme – Bharat NCAP has just been launched by the Union Government. This will work to improve road safety in India the programme will assess the crash safety of vehicles in India weighing up to 3.5 tonnes. All new vehicles manufactured in India will be assessed, and given a score which will have to be disclosed by the manufacturer to the public. Bharat NCAP for now is voluntary for automakers in India.
Commenting on the announcement, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said, “This is a landmark step towards empowering our consumers for being able to make a better choice for buying safer cars. The new safety regime under Bharat NCAP and AIS-197 is a mutual win-win for manufacturers and consumers and an instrumental step towards safeguarding lives of our citizens and making our automobile industry the number one auto manufacturing hub in the world.”
The primary goal of Bharat NCAP is to educate and empower customers to make smarter decisions when purchasing their vehicles, giving them the choice of choosing safer vehicles. This in turn will make automakers use more stringent methods in the design and development of their vehicles to be able to offer safer cars for the future.
The testing regime of Bharat NCAP has been developed in collaboration with experts from the automotive industry, research organisations and government bodies. This also aligns with the United Nations’ global initiative for road safety.
Crash safety ratings will be awarded on individual tests including front, side and rear impacts. In addition to this, safety apparatus such as airbags and seatbelts will also be assessed with the use of dummies. Bharat NCAP will apply to vehicles under the M1 category, which are passenger vehicles, carry not more than 8 passengers and weighs no more than 3.5 tonnes. This applies to both locally made and imported cars.
The crash safety tests will include adult occupant protection, child occupant protection and safety assist tech both active and passive. The frontal impact test will be conducted at 64kmph, the side impact test at 50kmph and the pole side impact test at 29kmph.
While manufacturers have the choice of submitting their vehicles for assessment, government bodies may recommend models depending upon market feedback. Government can even request a particular vehicle to be tested by Bharat NCAP, in the interest of public and road safety. The vehicle will be awarded 5 stars for full safety.